“Guard the month of the spring.”

What is prevalent in all the details of everyday life in this Tractate is the sense of loss associated with the destruction of the Temple that cuts deeply into the narrative of our ancestors. We carry that loss in our liturgy and in our identify of who we are as a people.

“If one diverted his attention.”

Today’s Daf Yomi considers the intricacies of funds that are found on the Temple floor. If you were a priest, would you quietly put the found money in the nearest collection horn, allocate it to the fund that was dearest to your heart or that needed the most assistance?

“Has the time come for this house to be destroyed?” 

There is a pervasive sense of loss throughout the Talmud, with the references to the destruction of the second Temple, which was the golden house that united the Jewish people from its mount in Jerusalem.

“And I will write on the tables the words that were on the first tables which you did break, and you shall put them in the Ark.”

I have always been fascinated by the story of Moses, who ascended Mt. Sinai at the request of God to receive the Ten Commandments. This was the greatest gift that Moses could bring to his people who were waiting at the bottom of that mountain.

“Who sees but is not seen, should render kindness to you.”

Today’s Daf Yomi considers the poor, and how to provide for their needs without embarrassing them. We are told that back when the second Temple stood there were “special” chambers. People who had sins to atone for would contribute money to “the chamber of secret gifts.”

“We have a tradition from our fathers.”

Today’s Daf Yomi discussion considers the professions that supported the second Temple when it stood in Jerusalem. We are introduced to Ben Bevai, who had a very particular skill, which was to braid shreds of discarded cloth into wicks for candelabrum.

“One who consecrates all his possessions.”

Several years ago, I sold the small apartment that I had lived in for thirty years. I had collected a lifetime of stuff, with a frightening amount of my net-worth tied up in shoes and handbags. Moving to a new apartment across town provided me with the opportunity to get rid of some of my possessions.

“Correct placement, is necessary for offerings to be valid.”

The red heifer was the star attraction of purification rituals when the Temple was standing. The priests built ramps to transport the precious red heifers from the Temple where they were collected to the Mount of Olives where they were slaughtered.

“The time of the wood of the priests and of the nation.” 

The half-shekel was a great equalizer because everyone who was obligated to contribute this exact amount did so. But as is the case today, there were families that made special donations to the community fund and they must have expected something in return.

“And you shall have no assurance of your life.”

Today’s Daf Yomi analyzes a different hunger than the one that plagued poor Rav Beivai. We are provided with a litany of “worthy traits” that allows one to live a righteous life free from the hunger that permeates one’s soul after not living up to their potential.

“Even in situations where there is little concern that one may commit a sin, the proper course is to remain above any possible suspicion of misconduct.”

I have always grappled with how perception can become reality and one’s reputation can be ruined by half-truths or gossip. Let’s face it: gossip websites and tabloids are popular because people love to gain insight into the lives of the rich and famous and the more salacious the better.

“When people who live far from Jerusalem.”

Today’s Daf Yomi text answers the question I have been wondering over the last few days. Before there was electronic transfer of funds, how did people contribute their annual half-shekel obligation if they did not live in Jerusalem? We find out today that there were agents who had the responsibility to transport the collected funds from the towns that were located far away from the holy city.

“You have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.”

This being the Talmud, and even though this is the funky insertion of the Jerusalem Talmud into our cycle of reading the Babylonian Tractates, there are Rabbis with the difference of opinion that we have become accustomed to.   

“Guard the month of the spring” 

The scent of spring is in the air. In today’s Daf Yomi, we are told that on the fifteen of Adar (which was late February this year), there was a great deal of industry in Jerusalem to prepare for the coming of Nisan and the spring. The roads and streets were repaired, and any leftover obligations were attended to.

“This month shall be to you the beginning of months; it shall be the first of the months of the year to you.” 

At the start of each new Tractate in this 7 ½ journey, I return to Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s introduction to the Koren Talmud Bavli and am reminded that this journey is about finding relevancy in the text to one’s life. Rabbi Steinsaltz wrote in the introduction: “Whatever is written herein refers only to me, is written for me and obligates me, first and foremost, the content is addressed to me.”